George Allen preps for '12 Senate bid

Former Virginia Sen. George Allen is taking increasingly aggressive steps to lay the groundwork for a 2012 Senate comeback.

POLITICO has learned that Allen, the Republican who was ousted from his seat in 2006 by Democratic Sen. Jim Webb, recently huddled with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn to discuss a prospective bid. He is also burnishing his profile through a series of public events, spreading cash through his political action committee and has even launched a Facebook page.

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According to one source familiar with Allen’s efforts, he sent a strong signal to other ambitious state pols by informing GOP members of the Virginia congressional delegation in early 2010 that he was thinking of running for Senate.

For months, Allen has been teasing local reporters about a prospective bid — in July he told the Martinsville Bulletin that he was “perhaps” interested in running for his old seat — but those close to the former senator and governor say his most recent moves provide the clearest evidence to date that he is all but certain to run against Webb.

"He's been telling people privately for a couple weeks that he's in,” said one GOP lobbyist involved in Virginia politics. “It definitely seems like he's running."

An Allen entry would set up a dramatic rematch against freshman Webb, who capitalized off a mistake-ridden Allen campaign in a contest that was once thought to be out of the Democrat’s reach.

Allen — who until that time had been widely mentioned as a prospective 2008 presidential candidate — came under scorching criticism after he called a Webb video tracker “macaca” in a clip that eventually went viral on YouTube.

A spokesman for Webb, who ended June with $509,000 in his campaign bank account, had no comment.

Dan Allen, a George Allen adviser, said the Republican was “fully focused on this year’s elections in Virginia, and once the races are wrapped up, he’ll start to turn his attention to the future and what his role would be.”

But Allen’s jampacked election season schedule resembles one that a candidate would have around this time of year. He’s held 97 public events since June 4, and in September alone, he held a combined 20 campaign events for Virginia congressional candidates Robert Hurt, Scott Rigell, Morgan Griffith and Keith Fimian. On Tuesday evening, he attended a Cornyn-headlined Georgetown fundraiser for Senate candidates Marco Rubio of Florida and Sharron Angle of Nevada, and next week he’ll make an appearance at the Virginia Tea Party Convention.

His Facebook page — titled George Allen Va. — is described as “a way to interact with thousands of people across Virginia and the nation, keep them informed about what I am doing and also share with them my thoughts on the news of the day.”

“He’s still a draw. People still respond really well to him,” said one GOP strategist familiar with Allen’s thinking, who added that the former GOP senator was “most definitely planning a run.”

In some cases, Allen is offering private counseling to candidates running in November. He’s spoken with Hurt and Rigell, both of whom are in competitive races against Democratic incumbents.

More important, Allen is also spreading the wealth, cutting checks through his Good Government for America political action committee to a slate of candidates, including Hurt, Rigell, Griffith and Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf.

But Allen’s path to the GOP nomination wouldn’t necessarily be wide open. Allen could also face a primary challenge from a more conservative Republican candidate, according to Virginia GOP operatives.

Among those mentioned as potential primary opponents are House Minority Whip Eric Cantor and state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. Allen's entry into the race would complicate any statewide ambitions for Cantor, who is also in line to become majority leader in the event of a Republican takeover of the House on Election Day. Cantor is unlikely to challenge Allen in a head-to-head matchup, said sources close to the GOP lawmaker.